Who We've Become
by Melellie
Summary: [SasuSaku] Nothing has changed. She has not saved him. Come morning, he will leave her behind once more. It is the tale of who they have become. Oneshot


Who We've Become  
By: Mellie  
Pairing: SasuSaku  
Rating: M (for explicit material, please don't read if you are offended/underage etc)  
Notes: The first part in italics is sort of Sakura's thoughts. Originally it was supposed to be a reflexive piece, but muse didn't let it stay at that. This is also written in the present tense and I'm a bit rusty at writing in such a way. This is set after the time skip, and then in an AU meeting a few years later. My pledge for Church of Lemons!

Totally dedicated to le sissyter nanaroo and the slayer of evil!muses lipso!

_It's been two and a half years, hasn't it? I can't believe it's been that long. Sasuke...when will you come back? I know we were never all that close, but the space between us has grown so far. I know you still have things you want to do, you always have. If I could, I'd do anything to help you complete it. Just please. Come back to me. I can't stand having you so far away..._

Two and a half years have passed since the young team seven was together. The time has passed slowly, but not fast enough. They are growing stronger with each day, but their ultimate goals still lie just outside of their reach. Nothing will ever be the same again. One is a missing ninja, said to have turned his back on his village for the man who tried to destroy them; another is the vessel of the kyuubi, darkness lying within the core of his being; the last is left behind, grasping to catch the remnants of memories.

The space between them is like a yawning chasm-it reaches for eternity and never looks back. However, the bonds of their past still connect them. Friendship. In all ways it is unforgettable in the memory of the heart. It is this bond that continues to draw them to their own goals. They must fight to keep their pasts and create new and bright futures. Darkness threatens to swallow them, claim them as its own. How can they fight such a foe?

Stars twinkle brightly in a blanket of midnight blue. Quietness has settled over the village, but sleep refuses to come to the pink haired kunoichi. She's prayed every night for the pain in her heart to go away. Loneliness pulls at her core. They are both gone. They left her behind. She'd do anything to have them at her side again. Even if it means leaving behind the village and everything she's ever known.

The love she carried for her team went beyond friendship. Naruto had grown to be a brother to her. She didn't always understand him, but she knew he would always be there for her. Sasuke. Her heart still ached at that name. She had loved him once. She still did. His name was etched upon her very being. He was too far away and quickly moving further. How long until he would be nothing more than a memory?

When she meets up with him again, it's cold and sterile. But he remembers her. He speaks her name. Her pulse races. Then he's trying to kill Naruto, their friend. Is this Sasuke now? Does he wish to soil his hands with their blood? She's scared of him, who he's become. And still her heart aches to be near him again.

Time moves forward. She's grown stronger. She knew she had to. If she didn't, if she couldn't, the end was all too near for Sasuke. Orochimaru would harvest his body and use him. He could still be saved and, gods help her, she was going to be the one to do it. Even if it cost her her life, she was going to rescue him. Whether he knew it or not, Sasuke needed to be saved.

It wasn't Sakura that found him first. He'd startled her when he'd dropped from the trees and landed before her. She may have been looking for him, but she hadn't expected him to be this close to Konoha. She lets her eyes slide closed and her head drop down as she reaches tentative hands up towards him. She can feel his gaze staring down at her. Still, he doesn't move. Beneath the thick material of her gloves, she can feel his chest. It's really him. Green eyes snap open as her wrists are bound together in his large hand. There is no explanation in his dark eyes; no emotion, no understanding. He does not let her go and she makes no struggle.

Metal sliding against metal echoes in the stillness of the night air. His right arm is behind him, drawing out the powerful sword sheathed on his back. He's going to kill her. Her pulse jumps in her throat. Her eyes widen in fear and betrayal. "Ss...Sasuke." His name stutters off her tongue and fills the space around them.

The sword drops to the ground, forgotten as he pulls her towards him. Hastily, greedily, his lips fall over hers. There is no love in this kiss, only need. His right hand moves to tangle in her hair. She does not fight him. Instead she gives in to his demands. The most foolish parts of her are still weak against him. Her body defiantly moves forward, leaning into him.

Her wrists are free as he releases her. His dark eyes bore into hers, lust and something she doesn't recognize brewing beneath the surface. Long fingers are still wrapped in her hair, combing through to the ends. He pulls gently on them. Then his mouth is over hers again.

His left hand has found its way up her shirt. His palm is warm against her stomach. She reaches forward to balance herself against him, small fingers grasping the edges of his robe. He moves to cup the back of her head, drawing her deeper into the kiss. She's losing herself to him. Her actions are no longer own as she pushes the garment from his shoulders. Her fingers flatten against his collarbones.

With no decorum, clothes are discarded. Hands slide against flesh possessively. He innately knows she is his. A gasp escapes her lips as her back collides with a tree. He doesn't stop. One hand is leaning against the tree, the other kneading her breast. She is a prisoner to his will, but she doesn't care. For just right now, they are man and woman.

Pulses race, skin burns, voices moan. Need and lust fill the air. There is not enough of the other to satiate the desire. His fingers set her ablaze and she wonders how she's still standing. His mouth finds hers again, his tongue pushing past her lips. There is no gentleness in his actions, and for that she is grateful. The risk of what they are doing lessens. The potential for her to lose her heart once again isn't as likely. She can give herself to him freely; no regrets, no reservations.

Her back arches as his hand slides between her legs. She breaks from his kiss and moans breathily into his ear. He smirks against her cheek. "You always have been weak against me, haven't you, Sakura?" She shivers at the way he says her name. Something dark, dangerous, and desperate hangs between them. His wide hands move to her hips and lift her up onto him.

Green eyes widen in surprise, then fall closed in pleasure. The sensation of him full and hard within her stirs a fire in her core. She moves her arms around his neck and he hisses as she touches his cursed seal. Fingers bruise into flesh as his eyes spin red. His head lowers and his breathing quickens. His mouth is crushing hers again; anger, need, passion channeling through. He slams her back into a tree, never breaking their connection.

One hand cups a breast, while the other steadies himself against her hip. He withdraws slowly, but there is no gentleness as he thrusts into her. She rises up to meet him, bark digging into her back. Still, she feels nothing but him against her body, between her thighs. He pulls out again, slamming back into her.

Her body replies instinctually to his. Her fingers dig into the back of his neck, her hips press closer to him, her back remains arched. As he increases his speed, she responds move for move. Both his hands are on her hips, steadying him and keeping her where he wants her. Fire swirls in her stomach, madness tugs at her brain. There is no rhythm anymore, just desperation. Her skin is ablaze, her heart is racing, and finally she succumbs to ecstasy.

Her cry echoes in the stillness of the forest as she's silenced by Sasuke's mouth, his own roar of passion quieted by their kiss. They remain like that, his hands never leaving her hips. Dark eyes stare into hers, lust still burning in their depths. His head leans forward and he nips at her throat. He releases her thighs and she stands before him once more. One hand is still resting possessively on her hip.

In the next moment, she finds herself on the ground, a light dust rising from the grass. He's kneeling over her, his eyes grazing over her body. One hand takes to kneading her breast, while he leans down to take a taut nipple between his teeth. His tongue rolls over the tip and she feels a shiver race down her spine. Sasuke takes what he wants without asking, and Sakura does not fight him.

His hands and mouth explore what she offers him. There is no shyness in his actions and there is no hesitation in her acceptance. His fingers tease the sensitive area between her thighs, sliding in long strokes against her. One finger slips inside of her, sliding against a bundle of nerves. He repeats the motion carefully, deliberately, and painstakingly slowly.

His mouth takes a nipple again as he continues his ministrations. There is no forgiveness in his actions as he teases her mercilessly. Rationality pulses in the back of her mind. They should stop, she's supposed to kill him. And then it's gone. Her world explodes in passion. Grass becomes snarled in her hands as she arches in pleasure. She gasps for breath and feels the smile on his lips against her breasts.

When his lips cover hers again, she sense something different. There is more than need, there is want. There is more than demand, there is request. She responds by dragging her nails against his back and nipping at his ear. "Sasuke."

He cups her hips up to meet his as he moves into her again. It's slower this time, desperation long since satisfied. His lips trail across her collarbone and he traces the curve of her waist. She tangles her fingers in his dark hair, pulling him back up to kiss him hard. Their motion stops as she plunges her tongue in to his mouth, forcing him to respond.

They fight for dominance. Her hands grasp his neck as she pulls herself closer to him. One arm braces him against the ground, the other is around her waist. He is the first to move back, his breath heavy against her cheek. Dark eyes look down into green, holding her captive as they swirl red. She gasps in surprise as he narrows his gaze at her.

In one fluid motion he crashes into her. A startled moan escapes her lips as he does it again. A pleased smirk graces the corner of his mouth as his pace increases. She can't keep up with the speed his sharingan, but each thrust sends a torrent of sensation through her. Her hands fall to his shoulder as she tries to regain the control she had just possessed.

Her fingers dig into him as her hips jerk beneath his. Wave after wave of passion wash over her. She's breathless as he shudders against her. Neither moves in the aftermath, euphoria still slowing their minds. When his eyes meet hers once more, the sharingan has disappeared. He rolls off of her, and moves to her side.

She steels her heart to prepare to watch him go, walk out of her life again. Instead of moving to get up, he possessively draws her into his arms. She doesn't want to see him leave. She'd break if she witnesses his back as he forgets about her once more. Tears sting her eyes and her heart aches.

"Come with me," she whispers impulsively.

He doesn't answer, and she pretends he didn't hear her. She is too scared to ask him again, too scared to hear him say no. Silence pounds at her sanity, green eyes squeeze shut in pain. She yells at herself for being foolish. Nothing has changed. She has not saved him. Come morning, he will leave her behind once more. It is the tale of who they have become. Enemies. Loneliness and grief claw at her. Even the steady rhythm of his pulse against hers does not offer comfort.

"Where?" his voice is quiet, and relief washes over her.

Without missing a beat, she replies, "Away."

He smiles into her hair and pulls her closer to him. His fingers tangle in her locks. Quick as a flash, he releases her and is standing. A silent gasp slips past her lips and silent tears trail down her cheeks. He moves away and she feels twelve and helpless again. Then the coolness of his robe falls across her shoulders, drowning her in its size. She looks up at him, but he doesn't meet her gaze. A rueful smile pulls at her lips, even after all this time, he is still Sasuke, and she is still Sakura.

Still not looking at her, he offers her his hand. She takes it instantly. He begins to lead her away. Away from Konoha. Away from Orochimaru. Away from who they were. Away from their pasts. As the sun paints the sky a brilliant pink, they are on the path to who they have become.

end


End file.
